1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the extension of comminuted meats using partially soluble modified whey solids.
2. Prior Art
Comminuted meat products such as sausage and meat loaves are well known items of commerce and include those comminuted food products prepared from one or more kinds of skeletal muscle meat which may include poultry meat. These products include cooked sausage, meat patties, and non-specific loaves.
Cooked sausage is defined by the United States Department of Agriculture in 9 C.F.R., Section 319.180, and includes, for example, frankfurter, weiner, bologna, garlic bologna, knockwurst and similar products. Beef patties are defined in 9 C.F.R., Section 319.15.
Non-specific loaves as defined in 9 C.F.R., Section 319.280 include such items as luncheon meat loaves. These items generally include an extender which, for these loaves, is generally non-fat dry milk.
Sausage prepared generally from top quality meat does not require the use of an extender. However, the addition of lesser quality cuts such as flank and chuck requires the use of an extender. The Federal Standards for comminuted meats other than non-specific loaves allow up to 3.5% by weight based on the total weight of the product of non-fat dry milk or modified non-fat dry milk as the extender. In non-specific loaves, meats of lesser grade predominate. The use of an extender is essential. Non-fat dry milk in an amount of up to about 25% is generally used in non-specific loaves.
Non-fat dry milk while being an excellent extender for meats also presents certain difficulties. The taste contribution made by the non-fat dry milk varies widely depending on the source and method of manufacture of the non-fat dry milk. Even non-fat dry milk from the same source can vary in taste. The variation in taste generally results from a cooked or scalded milk flavor which is imparted to sausage and non-specific loaves using a milk that is over-heated during drying. This problem occurs frequently and sausage manufacturers are aware of and attempt to avoid difficulty.
To date, the Federal Standards for sausage allow only the use of non-fat dry milk or modified non-fat dry milk and not other milk derived protein systems as extenders. However, it is known that certain by-products from the concentrate of whey protein by dextran gel are useful in extending comminuted meats particularly cooked sausage as well as effectively enhancing the flavor thereof. This is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,056. It is also known that the by-products from the concentration of whey protein by dextran gel filtration or ultrafiltration when combined with sodium caseinate also effectively function as binders and emulsifiers for comminuted meats as disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 836,164, of Robert M. Lauck and Nicholas Melachouris, filed Sept. 23, 1977, entitled COMMINUTED MEATS AND BINDERS THEREFOR. See also the article by R. Lauck entitled THE FUNCTIONALITY OF BINDERS IN MEAT EMULSIONS, Journal of Food Science, Volume 40, pp. 736-740 (1975).
However, the latter product requires the blending of a by-product, which is the result of extensive processing, with sodium caseinate. Cost factors greatly retard the commerciality of this system.